Soft drinks giant Coca Cola is set to invest £3.5m in Northumberland with the launch of a new bottled water.

The global brand has announced its rolling out its new product glacéau smartwater in the UK and it will be sourced from spring water in the county.

The company also said it will be manufactured at its Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) factory on Coopies Lane Industrial Estate, in Morpeth, which is currently home to Schweppes Abbey Well water.

The move will see a £3.5m investment in local manufacturing, including updates to production lines and the introduction of new water treatment processes at the site.

CCE will also be investing in its staff at Morpeth, by funding a training and development programme for existing employees to help them develop career skills, which are aligned to the new technology and processes being introduced for the new product.

Marketing industry sources have suggested that the company was also considering the actress to also promote the product launch in the UK.

The production of the electrolyte-enhanced water in Morpeth will see the UK become the first European market to introduce it.

Pete Smith, operations director at Coca-Cola Enterprises Morpeth, said: “This is an exciting new development for Morpeth.

“The factory already has a proud history of producing high quality water for consumers across Great Britain and we are very much looking forward to bringing another to the market.

“At CCE, we are dedicated to supporting local manufacturing across the country and the investment in our staff at Morpeth, as well as new equipment and production technology, is a statement of our commitment to this region.”

glacéau smartwater will use spring water from an underground aquifer, also the source of Schweppes Abbey Well. This will then be vapour distilled before electrolytes are added.

Additional updates to the Morpeth site, as part of a two-year investment plan, will include the installation of new blending and mixing equipment, and the introduction of labelling technology to create transparent labels used for the glacéau smartwater products.

Jon Woods, general manager of Coca-Cola, said glaceau smartwater would be a premium product sold “without the premium price” at 57p for a 600ml bottle and the same price charged by rivals for a 500ml bottle.

Coca-Cola, which has 106 water brands worldwide, already sells glaceau vitaminwater, a range of fruit-flavoured drinks, in Britain.

The company, which also owns Fanta, Sprite and Dr Pepper, will spend £3bn promoting the launch in August,